Opinions and expert advice on how to properly train a cat to sleep in a house are presented in an article from the authors of a specialized service for pet owners Petstory.ru.
Cats are big fans of comfortable (or those that do not even seem comfortable) places to rest and sleep. Often, pets climb onto the owner's bed, occupy sofas or armchairs, or even climb into empty boxes. But the love of personal space can lead to the fact that the couch or chair beloved by the cat will turn into a forbidden zone for the rest.
To do this, for sale in pet stores, there are a large number of beds and houses of different sizes and configurations: with a sharpener for claws, with a play area or crossbars. But the trouble is that it is far from always possible to accustom a cat to sleep in a place specially designated for this.
In fact, accustoming a cat to a house is not as difficult as it seems, but for this you need to take into account several very important points.
What should be
It would seem that an expensive sleeping place, and even with a place to play, should be as attractive as possible for a cat. It turns out that not all houses and beds can please a pet, which means that he will not rest there. Therefore, when choosing a house, you need to pay attention to the following characteristics.
Safety
Any, even the most expensive house, will never please a cat if it is loose, sways, wobbles, or does not provide reliable shelter. Open beds are also not always suitable for animals, since it is quite easy to fall off them. In this regard, when buying a house, you should carefully check how stable and reliable it is.
Size
There is no definite answer to what size the house should be. But in any case, a too cramped house is not suitable for a cat - she will have problems climbing into it and making herself comfortable there. Ideally, the house should be of such a size that the cat can fit freely in it.
Temperature
Most often, this characteristic is associated with what the place to sleep is made of. Synthetic materials can lead to the fact that inside the house the pet will be stuffy. On the other hand, it is impossible for a cat to freeze in the house in winter.
material and smell
In addition to being a greenhouse effect, synthetics can become electrified, smell bad, and be scratchy or rough to the touch. It is best if the frame of the house is made of wood and metal, and the upholstery is made of soft natural fabrics. Strong odors of glue or material handling spray can scare away a cat.
How to train a cat to sleep
So, the house is bought, installed and the cat received a kind invitation to pay the first visit there. A wary, cautious attitude towards the house in the early days can be explained by the fact that cats are distrustful of new items in the house. That is why you should not try to immediately and forcibly shove the cat into it: most likely, this will completely scare it away.
The best friend of the owner in the process of accustoming a cat to a house is a constant encouragement. It is necessary to play with a cat nearby, if it comes with a game complex, on the crossbars. If the pet climbed into it himself, he deserved something tasty and a little affection from the owner. It is necessary to accustom a cat gradually and not to wait that from the very first day she will forever settle on a new couch.
a special role in accustoming a cat to a bed . The first thing you can do is put a couple of your pet's favorite toys inside the house. If the cat has a bedding, blanket or pillow on which she often rests, it makes sense to cover them. In extreme cases, a couple of drops of valerian tincture or a special spray that attracts cats, which can be bought at a pet store, will do.
The main thing to remember when accustoming a cat to sleep in a house is not to be too persistent and angry at the cat for being wary of a new home. Caress, encouragement and gradual familiarity with the house will work much more effectively.
Polina Morozova, especially for shop-ultra.ru
